The Zen of Ultra Running

It's another hot race this year! (After Hamburg half marathon and Vermont 100) I started the race injured and undertrained (as usual). The week leading to the race day I was really anxious about the race as my ankle was still not 100% and I had not been running much since YUTC 50K. Work was also overwhelming and running was not my first priority. The weekend before the race day I went out to check the back half of the course with A. (10 miles) so I knew what to expect. Worst case scenario I would just walk the back half of the course. Race morning I woke up early and drove to the finish line to catch the shuttle at 6am. Some people were skeptical about the new course and the new start line. This year the Akron marathon moved the start line to be at Stan Hywet hall. So, most people have to park at the finish (Canal Park) and take the shuttle to the start line. The process was easier and faster than I expected. Once I got to Stan Hywet I used the restroom and checked my gear ...

After the Canal Corridor 100, I was in a boot for 3 weeks. I admit that I kinda lost my running mojo after being in the boot and being away from the trails. My left ankle still hurt every time I ran on trails especially bridle trails. I also shifted my focus to triathlon training. In other words, I was all over the place. A good friend who is also a triathlon coach kindly sent me a brief training program after seeing me freaking out about the Akron marathon. After getting out of the boot, my longest run was still at 12 miles 3 weeks prior to the marathon. Two weeks before the marathon I ran 20 slow miles on uneven trails and that made my injured ankle worse (Yes, I admit that it was a stupid decision to train for my road marathon on trail but I missed trail running and my running friends). Then, we traveled across the world to attend my sister's wedding and were super busy while we were in Bangkok. However, I got a chance to squeeze in 12 miles on Saturday (a week before the mara...